When I woke up, I couldn’t remember where I was, though I knew most certainly that I had never met the man kneeling next to me.
I flinched away from his extended hand, whether the reaction was out of self preservation or shock though, wasn’t sure. But that didn’t really matter, with the situation I was in. He offered his hand again, and this time I took it. He pulled me up gently and studied me carefully as I looked myself over, and more importantly, the crowed. Frantically, while still trying to maintain a cool outward appearance, I scanned all the faces my eyes could find, but none of them seemed to be watching me. Expect for the human. He stared at me, so I stared back. He was just a regular human. Not bad looking, with a mess of sandy blonde hair and a neat shirt.
“Are you OK?” he asked nervously. I gave him an appraising look. His thin face held a look of concern, and his eyes pale blue eyes were kind, but he didn’t seem to be in league with any of the men looking for me, or he would reek of fairy. Against my inner animal, the gnawing instinct that told me to run, and run fast, away from anyone, I couldn’t help but trust him, at least just a little bit. I didn’t trust anyone. Well, besides Gabriel…
“Oh, yeah, fine. Sorry about that. Just, uh…tired, I suppose,” Stumbling over my English, I let my voice trail off. I was tired. Exhausted really. If only there was a place for to sit…no, I couldn’t rest, I had to keep moving. ”If you don’t really mind, I’ll just be going now.”
“Are you sure? You look like you’re about to pass out. Here, let me get you somewhere where you can sit.” I tried to protest, but before I could form any words, he was leading her away to a dingy park across the street, and I was too tired to stop him. A dirty little bench sat in a corner, surrounded by what looked like it used to be a garden, but was now over grown with weeds and out of control bushes. I chuckled under my breath. I had seen this happen on the television before, a pretty young thing being led away to a quiet corner, one that reeked of the disgusting things that had happened before, by some man she hardly knew, unable to hear her screams creeping back to her from her own future. But it didn’t bother me, how could it? I could snap him like a twig if it really pleased me. But that wasn’t my concern…
“I’m Nick, by the way,” the human added with a smile, as he planted me firmly on the bench, “Feeling better?”
“Actually, yea, thanks,” I said, and smiled back, more out of the need to blend in than true appreciation. I didn’t have time for this. At that moment, I knew something was wrong, I could feel it, and I could only suppose I had made a noise or a face, because Nick’s face broke into a worried frown. “What’s wrong?”
“My necklace!” I glared, trying my hardest not to let myself break into a conspicuous rage, “What did you do with it?!” my fingers rubbed at bare skin at the base of my neck, hoping that I could just tear my flesh back and find it waiting. I couldn’t survive without her necklace. If I got too far from it, there would be no way for me to get away from the park alive. Already I was pushing it, trying to sustain a complex ruse while jumping to the human world. Gabriel should have done something by now, but even he couldn’t preform miracles, much to my dismay. Nick look confused for a moment before running off toward the street, assuring me that he would find it.
I was becoming hysterical, and I could feel the hot lines burning on my cheeks through the heavily laid glamour I had worked so hard on. That necklace had my stone, I was nothing without it. Everything I had done was pointless if I couldn’t finish this one, great job, and that was absolutely and completely impossible without my stone. It became clear to me just how weak I felt, just from being only this far from it, in a park across the street from where I landed. And this whole time I thought I was because I was exhausted, justifying it with all the efforts I had put into this job of mine. Not that it mattered, I was still discovered, it would only be a matter of mere minutes if I couldn’t get my stone back, without it I’d be caught like a fly in a web, and there had to be too many spiders to count just waiting for me to slip by now. Sitting on the bench, I felt jittery, and began to search the area around me, but i couldn’t find it. True fear started to fill me, unlike any before, and I was about to scream when I felt her strength coming back, and I knew that human-Nick-had returned with her necklace in tow. Dealing with my debt to him, though, would have to wait until later.
“Hey, is this it?” he held up a thin silver chain with a small orange gem carved into a Celtic spiral dangling from it. Excitement filled me, before a prickling sense that some one was watching me crept up my spine. No, not just someone, a few people. Way too many eyes for comfort were tracking my ever breath. I glanced over the humans shoulder and saw them. Five men in mismatched street clothes were walking into the park, and all eyes were on me, begging me in mock anticipation to preform my next stunning feat.
“s**t. You led them right to me,” I spat as I hastily fastened the chain safely around my neck and turning to find another exit, only to be greeted by the sight of three other men waking in on me other side. And that was all I needed. The power I could draw to myself now that I had my gem, that was all I needed, I could handle this.
Taking a deep breath, I smirked at the humans dull expression of utter confusion, touched by a hint of fear, and I could smell him start to sweat as he backed away from all of the spiders. With my gem now, I could feel my confidence build, and I could take on a whole nest of spiders. This was easy. In fact, this was going to be fun.
~~~~~